The Flower and the Flame
by hyugahime
Summary: During a battle with Uchiha Madara, a blast of the Kyubi's chakra sets free the Two Tailed Monster Cat, and when Hyuga Hinata unwittingly becomes its new host, her life changes drastically. AU. Jinchuriki Hinata.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Note: **I'm only gonna write this once. Once. So, on reviews, please spare me the headache of having to reply to people with dumb questions. This is AU. **_**AU.**_** There, I underlined it. Happy reading!**

**Prologue **

Madara Uchiha was smirking.

Yes, beneath that absurdly orange mask the corners of his lips were tilted upwards in the tiniest of smiles.

He stood on the giant index finger of the Statue of The Outer Path (1), his red eye studying the pair many yards beneath him. Waiting for the inevitable.

Naruto Uzumaki was glaring hatefully at him, and had Madara been a lesser man, he might have flinched under the stare of the boy's demonic eyes. Beside him, leaning heavily on the cold cavern wall of the AKatsuki Hideout, was Kakashi Hatake. The famed Jounin was holding his bleeding abdomen, where Madara's sword had struck moments before.

"You son of a bitch!"

The oldest Uchiha watched with interest as red chakra bubbled from beneath the boy's skin, his need to avenge his teacher washing away all reason.

"Naruto…" Kakashi choked out, "Go…get away…from here. You're falling…into his trap…"

Naruto turned pained red eyes onto Kakashi, but before he could open his mouth, Madara spoke.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Once I have you, only the eight tails will be left. So, if you'd kindly give up and follow me…"

"Like hell I will!" the blonde snarled in response, his head snapping back to the masked missing nin.

"I see, so you wish to go about things the hard way."

As Madara's laugh echoed against the weathered walls, Naruto felt something inside of him snap.

Kakashi could only stare in horror as his student succumbed to the powers of his tenant, as his canines lengthened into monstrous fangs and he collapsed onto all fours.

The blue of his eyes was washed out with the bloodiest of reds. Within moments, the Kyubi's chakra completely encased Naruto's body, and as his student threw his head back and roared his fury at the suddenly wary Akatsuki leader, Kakashi felt his insides twist with terror.

_Naruto…_

The Jounin watched with fearful eyes as 'Naruto' lept with a viscous scream at Madara, who neatly dodged, a taunt on his lips.

While the two battled, Kakashi closed his eyes as guilt washed over him. The mess they were in was his fault, and if they ever made it out of it alive, he knew Tsunade would have his head.

He could feel himself getting weaker and weaker as his blood continued to leave his body. He hadn't been struck in any major organs, but if he didn't have medical treatment, and soon, he was almost certainly going to die.

Despite himself, he sighed.

_And to think this all started with a simple D-rank mission…_

Kakashi scowled.

_Yamato's not here, and even if Naruto manages to drive him away, I'm nowhere near strong enough to incapacitate him the way I am now…_

Looking over their predicament, Kakashi realized they were really and truly in deep shit.

And it was at that moment Naruto let out a long, pained shriek.

The jounin had to fight back the urge to cover his ringing ears as the sound reverberated throughout the enormous cavern.

When it died down to a fierce growl, Kakashi raised his head, inhaling sharply at what he saw.

Kyubi Naruto was fixing 'Tobi 'with an unwavering stare, and in the mass of red chakra it was hard to see exactly what his expression was.

Both of his hands and feet were pinned to the enormous wall by rods not unlike that which Pain had once used, though these glowed with chakra.

"Naruto!"

Kakashi tried to stand, but only rose an inch before he collapsed to the floor. Coughing up blood, he cursed himself.

Madara could feel the triumph shining in his face as he leaped atop the giant statue once more. The Statue of The Outer Path was directly opposite the wall on which the Jinchuriki was trapped, and though his cloak was torn in several places, and half of his mask had been broken away, he laughed.

So close! Once he had captured the Nine Tails, there was only the matter of capturing the Eight Tails, and sealing them both, and then the plans he had worked on so hard , for so long to achieve would finally be put in motion.

"I must say, Jinchuriki, I'm surprised at how easy it was to lead you here."

Kakashi flinched.

The aforementioned jinchuriki paused in his growling, though not for the reasons Madara believed.

"I see I've caught your interest…so there is some shred of sanity left in you."

As Kyubi Naruto directed an enormous amount of chakra to his mouth, Madara continued, his place on the head of the statue bringing him level with the blonde.

"Uzumaki Naruto, your hot-headed recklessness and short temper have helped to bring about your downfall. First I will capture you, then I will kill your teacher, your friends, your village – I will destroy anything and anyone that has ever meant anything to you-"

He turned his gaze momentarily to Kakashi.

"And I will take back the Sharingan you stole, Hatake."  
>Madara moved to do just that, when he froze.<p>

The rocks and pebbles on the floor of the cavern were rising as if gravity had been turned off, and the walls began to tremble.

Madara felt foreboding bubble in the pit of his stomach at the disturbance, and he looked up in time to see Kyubi Naruto open his mouth inhumanly wide.

A monstrous red ball, composed entirely of the Nine Tails' chakra, was aimed directly at Madara, whose eyes went comically round as the jinchuriki threw his head back, then threw it forward again, the ball rocketing out of his mouth and hurtling to its target at impossible speeds.

Madara threw himself to the side so fast he was a blur, and though the ball barely brushed his arm, he screamed in agony as it burned through his cloak, clothes, and skin.

The ball shot past, and hit one of the open eyes on the statue instead.

The explosion could be heard for miles.

Madara, holding his arm and covered in dust, roared in fury as the eye shattered open, and out burst a silvery blue figure that resembled a cat, two slender, flame covered tails swaying behind it.

Its translucent form hovered in the air for a moment, savoring freedom, then it sprinted straight through the newly made hole in the cavern wall without a backwards glance.

"_No!_"

Madara stumbled to his feet, the naked side of his face shining with rage as he stared at the place where the Two Tailed Monster Cat had disappeared.

Kakashi struggled free of the fallen debris, coughing frantically, his eyes immediately finding Nauto. His student lay a little ways away, his body free of the Kyubi's malicious chakra. A rod was still lodged in his right hand and left foot.

His clothes were torn and dirty, and an enormous gash covered in fresh blood was on his left side. The blonde's right arm stuck out at an odd angle.

_The fall must have knocked him unconscious…_he thought, wincing at the damage.

The Jounin's racking coughs caught Madara's attention, and he turned hateful red eyes on the Hatake.

"I should end your lives right here," he snarled.

"Lucky for you, I have a Tailed Beast to recapture."

Before disappearing, the Uchiha said in a whisper that chilled the little blood left in Kakashi's veins,

"Consider yourself very fortunate, Kakashi of the Leaf, that you will live to see another day… But I assure you,"

The air around him rippled, and the older man began to fade.

"…_We'll meet again."_

Uchiha Madara was gone, and so was the giant statue, yet his words continued to echo in Kakashi's foggy mind.

_That man… _

With a shaky breath, he forced himself to stand, and was immediately overcome by a nauseating wave of dizziness.

His front was soaked with his own blood, but the bleeding had stopped somewhat.

Yet with each step he took towards the unconscious body of his student, agony made itself known in the pit of his stomach.

He gritted his teeth against the pain, telling himself he was a ninja, that he had suffered worse.

But even though that was most certainly true, the hopelessness of their situation weighed heavily upon him. It could take hours, days even, before Tsunade realized they were missing. The mission had been to deliver a simple set of scrolls to the Fire capitol, which was days away from Konohagakure. (2)

He collapsed next to Naruto.

With a shaking hand that seemed blurry in his own eyes, he gently shook the orange-clad jinchuriki.

"Naruto."

No response.

"Naruto…Naruto…_Naruto, _can you hear me? Wake up. Please."

When the boy still did not stir, a terrifying thought struck him. Trembling, he placed his ear above Naruto's heart. Relief unlike he'd ever felt flooded through him when he felt a feeble '_thump.'_

_It's faint, but it's there._

He wrapped his arms around the younger shinobi's body, and it took every last ounce of his strength to heave the boy onto his shoulders, let alone trying not to cry out in pain.

With a shaky breath, Kakashi stumbled towards the impromptu exit, half-carrying half-dragging his spiky-haired student.

_Yes…deep shit, indeed._

**A: So, how was it? A little boring, I know, but I had to get the details out of the way. I'd appreciate****reviews**! **I'm not gonna beg for them…but…ya know…it'd be** **nice… Anyway, if I get an amount good enough to lift my spirits, you can count on a quick update. Also, Hinata is in the next chapter. **

**PS: If you're gonna criticize me, be gentle. And actually have a reason. Saya out.**


	2. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. I wish I did.**

**Adngo714 - ****To tell you the truth, it was 1:30, 2:something in the morning when I typed this, so I wasn't really thinking straight. (This is my first story on ) When the story started, Kakashi had already been down for the count, as he had tried to fight Madara, leading to his stab wound. I'm not, honestly, a genius on the techniques and battles in Naruto, as I've only read the latest manga chapters, but Kakashi is not only slowly bleeding to death, we can correctly assume he's pretty damn low on chakra. The probability of him successfully summoning a dog/whatever is not high. That's where Hinata and her team come in! (Thanks for pointing that out)**

**Anotamous-**** That's actually a really good point. In the story, the ball was 'hurtling towards its target (Madara) at impossible speeds.' I'd like to think he was too stunned to think straight, and that the ball was coming too fast and he acted on instinct. Hope that's an okay answer. (Again, thanks for pointing that out.)**

**PS: I'm more of a reader of fanfiction than an actual writer, so I know how you nameless readers feel. You either don't feel like clicking the button or just don't like the story. I can understand that. . But if you DO have an account (anonymous ppl too) and LIKE the story, review. Give me your thoughts. Make my day. **

…**..And I said I wasn't gonna beg. Damn.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**(And thank you reviewers. You're awesome. Just know that.)**

Hyuga Hinata was restless.

She gazed somberly at the starry sky, the only sounds being Kiba's snoring and the soft chirp of crickets.

Shivering slightly at a gust of wind, she rolled onto her side and winced at the rocks and stiff blades of grass she could feel through her sleeping bag.

"Is something wrong, Hinata?"

Her head snapped instantly towards the speaker. Shino sat, quite comfortably,on the particularly thick branch of a wide tree, twenty feet above.

Slowly, the heiress sat up.

"I…I'm fine, Shino-kun. Just…tired, I guess."

She averted her eyes, hoping he'd buy it, but she really should've known better.

Behind his dark glasses, he was eyeing her intently, searching for something.

Finally, the silent Aburame leaped down from his perch, and started towards her.

"You're lying."

It wasn't a question.

Sighing softly, Hinata chanced a look at her friend. "I'm sorry. I just don't thinkit'sworth talking abou-"

"I'm all ears. Speak."

Despite herself, color rose to the Hyuga's cheeks. She fumbled for a moment, trying to put her muddled thoughts into words.

"W-well, on the way to the Fire Capitol, I..."

She muttered something he couldn't hear.

"What?**"**

The dark-haired woman ducked her head, clearly embarrassed.

"I…I've been having nightmares."

Shino was silent for a moment.

Hinata watched him warily. Had it been Kiba she was talking to, he would have laughed. Shino, she knew, was very different from Kiba, but…

_He probably thinks it's just as ridiculous._

To her surprise, he sat down next to her on the hard, rocky earth.

"Are you afraid to go to sleep?"

She froze. When he looked at her, the white-eyed ninja whispered, "Y-Yes."

"Hm. What exactly are these… nightmares about?"

Hinata was silent for a moment, reluctant to think of it again, but eventually she said, in a soft sort of sigh,

"Naruto."

Shino stared.

Her face went red at her team-mate's unnerving gaze, and her fingers fiddled with themselves as she attempted to correct herself.

"I…well…um…It was w-when we were staying at the Fire Capitol," She paused. "T-To deliver H-Hokage-sama's scrolls?"

_As if he didn't know._

HInata bit her lip, cursing herself at the use of long gone habits. She cast an apologetic look at Shino.

"Go on."

"Well, I've been having weird dreams, lately. They start off normal, and then turn into terrible nightmares."

She clasped her hands.

"And all of them, every single one, involves Naruto."

Her eyes went foggy when they landed on Akamaru's still form, as if recalling some far away memory.

"I don't remember when they started, but every time, it gets worse and worse. Last night, when we stayed in the Daimyo's estate,"

She shivered.

"So much blood…"

The heiress looked paler than usual, and she cocked her head to the side for a moment, as if listening for something.

"Did you hear that?"

Without waiting for his answer she stared off to the right, her brows furrowed; as if she was puzzled by something. "I could swear…"

_I heard a scream._

Abruptly, she shook her head.

"Sorry, I must be imagining things. Um, I'm…kind of tired. Can I tell you about it another time?"

Shino stared.

"You're worrying me, Hinata."

The heiress pretended not to hear. In an uncharacteristic show of rudeness, Hinata lay down, turned her back on the bug-user and closed her eyes in a show of sleeping. Behind her, she imagined she heard Shino sigh, and as he walked back to his post, guilt bubbled in the pit of her stomach.

_I shouldn't have been so rude…_

She opened her eyes again, truly afraid to go sleep, for she feared once again seeing the crimson red eyes and bloodstained fangs of the one who wore Naruto's skin.

Absently picking at a stray piece of cloth, Hinata bit her lip; a clear sign to all who knew the shy girl that she was troubled. And with good reason.

How could she tell her Shino, a teammate and a friend, that every other night she witnessed as the boy she loved killed in cold blood?

_I…It's not Naruto_, she'd tell herself.

_It couldn't be! Naruto wouldn't kill the people he considers precious. He wouldn't destroy his own village!_

And yet she was forced to watch, helpless, as he tore out the throats of his loved ones, as they pleaded for mercy, and never once did he give them any. She watched as he burned The Hidden Leaf Village to ashes…

And every time, every time, when all was done and every last man, woman, and child had been slaughtered, he would turn to her with a terrible grin, and offer his hand.

_Hina-hime…_

Even thinking of the words sent a chill down her spine.

For most of her life, she had longed to hear her name filled with such affection flow from his lips.

But coming from that…_monster…_

It scared her more than she'd ever admit.

Hinata was so lost in her thoughts she almost didn't hear it.

Somewhere a fair distance away, something was pissed. She cringed at the deafening roar of fury, and didn't have to turn to see Kiba instantly spring awake, and the sound of heavy paws against earth as Akamaru lept to his feet.

"What the hell was-"

The words died on his lips when a wave of the foulest, most malignant (and _familiar!)_ chakra she'd ever felt in her eighteen years of life blasted its way into their little campsite, throwing down equipment and knocking Shino off his feet.

It felt akin to a very hot wind, and as it made contact with her skin she felt a terrible sense of revulsion, a desperate desire to run, run and never look back…

Bile rose in her throat.

Forcefully pushing it down, Hinata stumbled to her feet. She helped Shino up. With a grateful nod, he retrieved a thick, spacious bag and began pulling out his battle gear. His bugs buzzed, restless, around him. As Hinata watched, she could swear she heard him mumbling to himself.

"This chakra…"

From across the long extinguished fire, she could hear Kiba's yells of alarm as he hastily pulled on his regular clothes.

"W-what in _the hell_ was that?"

She turned her head the way the blast of chakra had come, her white eyes narrowed.

"Hinata."  
>Shino's hand was outstretched, and in it was her weapons pouch, shoes and coat.<p>

Amazed he could fit it all in one hand, she took them with a murmured, "Thanks."

Kiba appeared next to her, and as she pulled on her sandals, she heard him say,

"Do you think it's…"

"Hush, Kiba."

Hinata became slightly suspicious when Shino discreetly jerked his head to her. Realization dawned on Kiba's face, and he glanced not-so-discreetly at the quiet girl.

Hinata frowned; They were hiding something. Before she could call them on it, though, Kiba said in an uncharacteristically worried tone of voice,

"So what are we gonna do?"

He wasn't talking to her. As a matter of fact he was ignoring her altogether.

But Shino answered,

"We investigate."

She froze.

Not sure why she was so repulsed by the idea, the heiress said in a shaky voice,

"Um…I…Don't think we should…"

Two pairs of eyes flew to her face. Normally, she might've blushed a little at the attention, but at the moment she simply couldn't muster the strength to be embarrassed. Hinata was shaken, suspicious, and most of all…

_Scared._

It killed her to admit such a thing, even to herself, but there was something in the air, something bad, something_ evil,_ something **familiar.**

And suddenly, she remembered.

_Blood, and fire, and screams, and __**fear.**_

Instinctively, her hands slapped to her ears.

_Eyes the color of fresh blood sparkling with twisted glee as his claws struck down civilians and shinobi alike…_

"Oh, no…"

She whispered, unaware of the looks she received from her friends, for she was too lost in her nightmare.

_And then there was no one, nothing but silence, as the figure covered in so much blood it was black raised his head to the red sky, and screamed his pleasure._

Tears fell, unbidden, from Hinata's eyes, but she was deaf to her team-mates as they grabbed her, calling her name.

_Suddenly, he turned, as if just realizing she was there. He cocked his head, considering her, and stepped towards the immobile Hyuga. _

_Slowly, the monster…_Naruto…_outstretched one bloody hand, crimson eyes boring into hers. His black lips thinned in a sort of grin, revealing grotesque fangs. To her horror, she felt desire well in the pit of her stomach._

"_Hina-hime…"_

_And despite her terror, she raised her hand, somehow disgusted and transfixed at the same time. She would go with him, she would, forever by his side…_

"Hinata!"

Her eyes snapped open, and for a moment the world was but a blur of colors and voices. She blinked. Kiba's worried face came into focus.

"I…"

She looked around, confused. The Hyuga was apparently sitting on her sleeping mat, with the brown – haired Inuzuka kneeling in front of her.

"Hinata, what the hell just happened to you!"

He seemed to be asking that question a lot, lately.

"I…I don't…"

Vaguely, she recalled flashes of…whatever that had been...Hinata was reluctant to tell them what she'd seen, and instead of answering, rose to her feet.

Her face felt odd from the drying tears, and she hastily wiped them away.

_Time to change the subject…_

The other two members of Team Eight shared meaningful looks as the dark-haired woman retrieved the rest of her gear and began to pack up camp.

As she did, she said,

"So…will we investigate or not?"

Hinata really didn't want to, as she was still afraid of what she'd just seen, but quietly told herself she was being silly. Nightmares didn't come true, after all.

How wrong she was.

As the Hyuga heiress silently reassured herself, Shino spoke.

"That depends on what awaits us. When you're finished packing, use your Byakugan to try and see what's going on. If the situation is deemed too dangerous, we will leave immediately and report to Hokage-sama as soon as possible. If not, we will try to diffuse the situation."

KIba stared at him, awed. "Dude, that's probably one of longest things you've ever said."

"Hn."

Kiba's face suddenly grew serious, and he glanced at Akamaru. Hinata involuntarily followed his gaze, and saw with surprise the normally friendly dog was glaring in the direction the blast had come from. Snarling and gnashing his ferocious teeth, the dog was board-stiff, and his hackles were raised pin-straight as he growled at something she couldn't see.

_What the hell is going on?_

Hastily shoving the last their camping materials into a scroll, Hinata immediately turned and activated her Byakugan.

She could feel the veins around her eyes bulge, and suddenly she could see everything with perfect clarity. The bugs crawling on the forest floor, the intense stares of her team-mates behind her.

Everything except what she needed to see.

Pouring more chakra into her eyes, she felt her vision expand, and looked expectantly for the source of the malignant chakra. Yet still she could see nothing but more trees. Exasperated, she poured even more chakra into her bloodline, nearly stretching her Byakugan to its limits.

_There._

She could see it, a monstrous cavern protected by layers and layers of ancient and powerful jutsu. For a moment, Hinata despaired, for she feared she wouldn't be able to see inside and she could feel the source of her many questions lurked right there.

But soon she realized the seals that should have prevented her from seeing had been severely weakened.

Her heart beat in her chest as she pushed her dojoutsu (1) to near breaking point.

When she penetrated the cavern, she wasn't surprised to see her vision was blurry. The seals and jutsu had been weakened, not destroyed. But it was better than not seeing at all. The first thing she saw was two massive amounts of chakra (one malignant-the other downright evil) clashing fiercely, and it was clear they were fighting. One was a brilliant red with the faintest hints of blue, the other a glaring black.

So focused on the two clashing chakras, Hinata almost didn't see the familiar chakra signature on the floor of the cavern. She froze, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"No way…"

Kiba was immediately at her side.

"What? What is it?"

Eyes still staring disbelievingly at the feeble chakra, she said in a voice that showed her shock,

"T-There are two major sources of chakra. They're fighting. I-"

"What colors are they?"

Hinata froze, and were it not so hard to focus her already strained vision, she would've stared incredulously at her friend.

"Why is that-"

"_Hinata._"

Frowning, she said, "One is…black. And the other is red. "

Trying not to think of a red-eyed Naruto and missing the grim looks the other two shared, she went on,

"The red one is actually even odder than the black. I think it might be the one we felt, since there's so much of it…It looks as if the chakra is coming from somewhere around the user's navel, and I could swear there's blue in there, but it's completely overwhelmed by the red-"

"That's not what surprised you though, is it?"

Sighing at Shino's perceptiveness, Hinata answered, "No. There's a third chakra signature. It's weak, but I'm certain it belongs to Kakashi Hatake."

There was shocked silence.

Kiba recovered first.

"Well what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go-"

_**BOOM!**_

Even miles away, the shockwave from the explosion was so fierce and so sudden that Team Eight was knocked right off their feet.

(Shino for the second time that day)

Hinata was blown into a tree, Akamaru landed on top of her, and Kiba and Shino ended up in a mess of tangled limbs on the forest floor.

"Gi a fell orf ee!" (Get the hell off me!)

"Ahem, sorry."

Shino-who had been sitting on Kiba's face- untangled his legs from the dog boy's , dusted himself off, and stood.

The moment he was on his feet he walked over to a groaning Hinata, and helped her up. "Thank you."

As Akamaru licked her hand in apology, Shino said in an unusually urgent voice,

"This situation is much more serious than I originally thought. It is urgent we head towards N…Kakashi, and let Tsunade-sama know what's happened."

Hinata looked at him suspiciously.

"I'll send my bugs to Konoha. Someone from my clan will know they are mine, and hopefully tell the Hokage where we are and what has happened."

As he said this, a swarm of bugs left his sleeves. Hinata watched him give them orders, and then as the bugs flew away in the opposite direction.

Kiba stumbled over, glaring reproachfully at Shino, and said in an irritated voice,

"What just happened?"

"There was an explosion, obviously."

Ignoring what might have been an insult to his intelligence, the Inuzuka whistled.

"Damn, whatever caused it must be one hell of a pyromaniac."

"…Indeed."

Shino turned to the female of the group.

"Hinata, do you think you can use your Byakugan and tell us what's happening?"

"I can try."

With a grim expression, she formed the familiar hand signs.

"Byakugan!"

Straining her eyes to their limits, she retracted her vision so that it showed the face of the person, not just their chakra flow.

She gasped softly.

"What?"

"The black chakra has disappeared, and so has the red. The cavern is almost completely destroyed."

"Is Kakashi still alive."

Hinata paused.

"Yes. But he's-he's in terrible condition. He's almost completely drained of chakra, and looks to have suffered a serious stab wound. He's trying to leave the cavern, but in his condition, he won't get very far. It looks like he's bleeding to death!"

Kiba's voice was unusually quiet.

"….Is there anyone with him?"

Confused, she looked again.

"Well…he seems to be carrying something….something…"

Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Something…_orange..."_

Her face lit up in realization, and the blood in her veins froze to ice.

"_**Naruto!"**_

Hot tears fell from her eyes, and the Byakugan disappeared as she grew more and more hysterical.

Hinata made a mad dash for the forest, but had only taken four steps when strong arms encircled her, prohibiting escape.

"Hinata, calm down, _calm down,-"_

"_**Let me go!"**_

She screamed at her captor, and Kiba was so surprised that his hold slackened for a split second, allowing her to spin and aim a hand glowing with chakra at his chest.

Hinata hit him so hard he actually went flying, and Akamaru sprinted to his master as he skidded to a stop in the dirt.

Without a second thought she turned and sprinted for all she was worth. All reason had vanished with the sight of Naruto's abnormally pale face, and the fact his chakra signature was so feeble it almost wasn't there.

_I have to save him!_

Nothing else mattered.

She was already tearing through the trees when another obstacle awaited her. She collided, face first, with a wall of angrily humming bugs.

Suddenly, she was surrounded.

Hysterical, furious, and completely irrational, Hinata prepared to attack with the Protective 8 Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, when Shino's voice rang clear through the cloud that was her thoughts.

"Hinata."

She spun around, her palms glowing as she slipped into a perfect battle stance.

Shino walked calmly through the swarm of bugs. For a moment, they simply stared at one another, but she could tell from the stiff way in which he stood that he was furious.

"You imbecile."

Hinata froze.

"Are you really so incompetent and selfish that you'd attack your own team-mates, your _friends,_ for the sake of a boy you barely know-"

"_I love him!"_

He was silent for a moment as he pushed his shades up the bridge of his nose.

"That may be, but do you honestly believe recklessly running to what could very well be your own death is the answer? You'll only end up making things worse for everyone involved."

The heiress' eyes were wide with shock at the ice in his words.

"I…"

She was torn.

"Naruto…he's dying." Tears were falling freely from her eyes, but she wiped them away, not wanting to seem weak.

"How do you know that?"

"**I know what I saw!"**

"Hey, stop bein' such an asshole Shino, we both know Hinata-chan means well."

They both turned to see Kiba walking towards them, Akamaru at his side.

He was holding his chest.

"Damn, Hinata, for someone so small you can pack one hell of a punch!"

He grinned at her, and even though the Inuzuka hadn't said it, she knew she was forgiven.

"Kiba…"

Even so, she walked up to him, her head bowed.

"I…I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry-"

The rest of her apology died on her lips when he pulled her in a half sort of hug.

"Hey," he said softly, "It's fine. I understand."

Stepping back, he turned to Shino.

"So, we leavin' or not?"

Shino stared. "What?"

"Whaddya mean 'what?' We're going to rescue Kakashi-sensei and that knucklehead. C'mon!"

"W-wait, we don't even have a plan-"

"Screw plans, they need our help! Right, Hinata?"

She nodded once, her eyes pleading as they landed on Shino.

He sighed.

"Fine. But if I get killed because of you guys…"

Kiba laughed and leaped onto the treetops. Akamaru and, after a moment's hesitation, Shino followed.

Hinata stood alone for a moment, her fists clenched.

_Naruto…_

She raised her head, and one would have been shocked at the fire in her eyes.

_I'm coming!_

And then she, too, was gone.

**A/N: So…whaddya think? Slow, I know, but I'm trying to get all the boring stuff out of the way. Next chapter you'll find out how Kakashi and Naruto got in their situation in the first place. Also, I know there are flaws somewhere, and I'm sorry for that. **

**(1): I don't know how to spell that, which is pretty rare for me, cause I'm a spelling genius (conceited).**

**Don't forget to review! **

**Ja ne! **

**-Hyuga out**


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